After capturing the White House, Republicans put repealing the health law at the top of their to-do list. But since they can’t get around a Democratic filibuster in the Senate, they are forced to use an arcane legislative tool called budget reconciliation to disassemble parts of the law. KHN’s Julie Rovner and Francis Ying explain the process.
The first football game I ever watched was the 2001 Super Bowl victory by the New England Patriots over the best team in the league that year, the St. Louis Rams.
That win helped begin what has been an uninterrupted success. Since that 2001 victory, the Patriots have been to the playoffs 13 out of 15 years, have had nine Semi-Final Appearances, seven Finals Appearances and four League Championships.
Since co-founding my own start-up at Exact Media, I’ve come to appreciate the organization that is the New England Patriots even more than the team itself.
The Patriots are the picture of stability in a league filled with constant change. It’s a great parallel to what it feels like to build a company.
After following this team for 15 years, there are five lessons from this organization that I continue to embrace in my daily life.
Every organization has vision, which requires focus in order to achieve. The focused pursuit of vision is what truly sets apart a successful organization from another. In today’s featured segment, Mark Solazzo, EVP & COO of Northwell Health, discusses his focused pursuit of Northwell’s vision and mission.
According to the bio referenced in this clip, Mark Solazzo is “responsible for integrating the strategic plan of the organization through its operations and maintaining an organizational culture that recognizes the importance of strategic change leadership, excellence in execution, accountability and the ongoing commitment to long-term growth and innovation.”
In reference to this, Dan Nielsen asks Solazzo:
“What are the actions that you take or the decisions that you make to make sure that those are embedded in your organization on a daily basis?”
Solazzo answers by discussing how strategic change leadership and long-term growth and innovation go hand in hand. “It starts with the team you select.” Solazzo emphasizes the importance of picking a diverse team and then trusting them to get the job done.
In regard to “excellence in execution and accountability,” Solazzo states: “We have a very well-developed system of metrics and accountability reporting.” This is system wide and monitored closely.
To view the full segment and hear the rest of Solazzo’s response, click below.
Employers Fret Job-Based Coverage Vulnerable To Fallout From GOP Health Overhaul
Through years of acrimony over Obamacare coverage for the poor and other individuals lacking health policies, one kind of insurance has remained steady, widespread and relatively affordable.
Employer-sponsored medical plans still cover more Americans than any other type, typically with greater benefits and lower out-of-pocket expense. Recent cost increases for job-based coverage have been a tiny fraction of those for Obamacare plans for individuals.
Now, as President Donald Trump promises a replacement for the Affordable Care Act that will provide “insurance for everybody,” employers worry Republican attempts to redo other parts of the insurance market could harm their much larger one.
“We’re deeply embedded” in the health law, said Neil Trautwein, vice president of health care policy for the National Retail Federation, a trade group. “Pick your analogy — it’s like being tied to the railroad tracks or having a bomb strapped across your chest. It’s tough to disarm these things.”
Business dislikes many parts of the ACA, including its substantial paperwork, the mandate to offer coverage and the “Cadillac tax” on high-benefit plans that takes effect in 2020. But large companies in particular — those that have always offered job-based insurance — say a poorly thought-out replacement might turn out to be worse for them and their workers.
Medicare, the nation’s federal health insurance program for 57 million people age 65 and over and younger people with disabilities, often plays a major role in federal health policy and budget discussions. This was the case in discussions leading up to enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which, in addition to expanding health insurance coverage, included changes to Medicare that reduced program spending. Medicare is likely to be back on the federal policy agenda as Congress debates repealing and replacing the ACA, and also if policymakers turn their attention to reducing entitlement spending as part of efforts to reduce the growing federal budget deficit and debt.
By many measures, Medicare’s financial status has improved since the ACA passed in 2010, and repealing the ACA’s provisions related to Medicare would increase program spending and worsen the financial outlook for the program. But even if the Medicare savings and revenue provisions in the ACA are retained, Medicare faces long-term financial pressures associated with higher health care costs and an aging population. To sustain Medicare for the long run, policymakers may need to consider additional program changes to modify program revenues, benefits, spending, and financing.
This brief presents 10 facts and figures about Medicare’s financial status today and the outlook for the future.
